Hearing on gun range near school delayed due to overcrowding

COVENTRY, R.I. — A zoning board’s public hearing on a proposal to build a gun range near a Rhode Island elementary school has been postponed because crowds packed the meeting room beyond capacity.

The Coventry Zoning Board voted to delay the hearing Wednesday night after the fire marshal determined that the Town Hall Annex was overcrowded. The discussion was rescheduled for Jan. 10 at a larger venue.

Gun store owner John Psilopoulos has proposed building the range a little more than a mile (1.61 kilometer) away from Washington Oak Elementary School.

The school committee opposes the project, citing concerns about public safety and the noise that would be created.

Psilopoulos says the range would follow best safety practices and that sound testing has shown noise would be well below legal limits.

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